


What can I do, my dear, to catch your ear?... I love you madly, madly Madam Librarian

by your_bus_driver



Series: Cursed Storybrooke [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - In Storybrooke | Cursed, Book Recommendations, Cursed Storybrooke, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluffy, Librarian Belle, sharp suits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 15:26:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10192985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/your_bus_driver/pseuds/your_bus_driver
Summary: Mr. Gold wants to check out a book and the new librarian.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I am in the process of writing a moderately long fanfic about librarian Belle and flirting Rumple and this scene didn't fit. I didn't want to get rid of it so now it's own little fic. Hope you enjoy!

No one came in when she was in charge, sitting at the main desk with a stamp at the ready. When she wandered through the shelves they didn’t seem to care. When she was out of sight, she was out of mind. When she was at the front desk passersbys turned the other way. 

Instead of sitting and wallowing alone in the empty library, waiting for the day to come to a close so she could go home and get away from the prying eyes of the people in town, she pulled one of her favorite books off the shelf. 

She was nose deep in one of her favorite parts when the bell above the door chimed. 

He walked with his head held high and his hand pressed suit outlining his every angle. He looked down to her from his place, standing in front of the desk. 

“Can I help you?” She asked. Her voice was higher pitched than she had wanted it to be. She couldn’t help but be affected by the powerful and confident man in front of her.

“I am here to return this,” He said, handing the book by his side to her. She took it with a smile and scanned the bar code with the ancient computer attachment, logging his return into the system. 

He stood there waiting for her to finish. She turned and placed it on the pile of books waiting to be put back. She looked back to him to find him staring at her. He had dark brown eyes, the kind that you rarely see, where the warmth of them rivaled whisky. 

“Can I help you with anything else?” She said, in a normal voice. 

“Seeing that we have similar tastes,” he said gesturing to the book that she had been reading, which she had placed face up on the desk next to her when he had come in. “I need something else to occupy my time. Would you be so kind as to give me a recommendation?” 

“Oh, um. Of course.” She said quickly standing up and smoothing out her skirt. As she led him back into the shelves she felt a fluttery kind of nervous. 

There was a self consciousness that had not been there before. It felt akin to the itchiness in her chest when the mothers of the town came in and stared at her. This nervousness felt softer, lighter. 

“I can’t help but be curious. I don’t know many men who have read, or enjoy reading Jane Austen, and I didn't think that you would be one of them.” She said as she searched for the book she had in mind. She could feel his presence behind her, hearing the clicking of his cane following her through the room, clacking along with her heels. 

“My aunts are to blame, or to thank depending on what you mean.” He said, lowly. His voice was like a wool blanket, warm and rough. It made her want to curl up in it. She wondered what her name would sound like on his lips. 

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s refreshing.” She said, stopping at the shelf she had been in search of. 

“I’m glad. I wasn’t ready to be told off by the librarian. Flashbacks of school nuns and their rulers came to mind.” He said with a chuckle. She couldn’t help but laugh. Her mind wanted to wander down some inappropriate trails of thought but she forced herself to stay in the moment. 

“Here it is. It’s another one of my favorites.” She said handing it over to him. She turned to him and found him closer than she thought he had been. Their chests were inches apart. He was tall enough so she had too look up to meet his eyes but short enough for him not to be intimidating, or for her neck to hurt. 

They looked at one another for a moment, the only sound being the electricity buzzing between them, and under their skin. 

He briefly inspected the book, opening the cover and reading the summary on the inner flap, before his eyes returned to hers. 

“I think this will do.” He said with a soft smile. 

For a man with his reputation, and his sharp suits and looks, Belle couldn't help but become taken in my his soft laugh, and his soft eyes. 

“So, shall I check you out?” 

“I wouldn’t mind,” He said in a suggestive tone. 

“I meant the book,” She said blushing. 

“I didn’t,” He winked.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and Comments make my day sooooo... do with that what you will!


End file.
